Venetian blind



June 24, 1958 i F. csRnzssER` y 2,840,156

*l VENETIAN BLIND Filed Nov. 5, 195e v 2 sheets-sheet 1 Figli /NvE/vrQR: F. GRIESS'ER United States Patent O VENETIAN BLIND Fritz Griessen Aadorf, Switzerland, assignor to Griess'er A. G., Aadorf, Switzerland Application November 5,-1956, Serial No. 620,556

Claims priority, application SwitzerlandV November 11, 1955 4 Claims.` (Cl. 160--133) pletely lowered a further rotation of the winding shaft in the direction of lowering the blind results in the slats articulated to said further -tape being tilted into their open position about their connections at the guiding tapes.

Ordinarilyrtwo such further tapes will be provided one near each end ofthe slats. p

In practice it.has been found ,that particularly in the case of `.large blindsthe slats suspended only at their ends tend to llex when the blind is lowered. The prime object of the present invention is to avoid this disadvantage. V f

For this purpose inaccordance with thepresent invention a Venetian blind of the described type is characteriredv in that the slats are articulated with theirlongitudinal middle portion to at least a supporting tape ex'- tending through cut-outs in ,the slats and securedr to the winding shaft so as to be windable on the latter together with the guiding tapes.

Preferably a transverse member varranged above the uppermost slat'is anchoredk to the supporting tape and Vto the guiding tapes and Amay be wound onto the winding shaft together with the slats, ,this transverse member, when the blind is lowered, holding vover the supporting tapes the middle portion of the slats at equal level with the ends of the slats held by the guiding tapes.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description now to follow of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example and in which reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a Venetian blind with the slats tilted into open position,

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section showing a portion of the Venetian blind with the slats tilted into their closed position, and

Fig. 3 is a section similarto the one of Fig. 2 but with the slats in open position.

In the drawing reference numeral 1 designates the winding shaft of the Venetian blind. One end of this shaft is provided with a not represented winding drum from which is suspended in a known way per se a pull tape, or which carries a toothed rim engaging a manually actuatable gear.

The represented Venetian blind comprises a plurality of slats 2 made for example of sheet metal and having a slightly vaulted profile. The slats 2 are upwardly bordered at their inner rim to constitute an upwardly bent bead 3a while the outer longitudinal rim 3b of the slats is bent downwardly. The slats 2 have their front ends Apivotally connected each with a guiding tape 4 (Fig. l) made of steel or the like. For this purpose a pin 5 is provided at each narrow end of the slats and connected thereto by means of a llange 5a. This flange 5a extends over the larger part of the breadth of the slat and serves simultaneously for stitfening and thereby reinforcing the latter. According to Fig. l the pin 5 is inserted into an eye 6 made of a piece of sheet metal having flanges secured by spot welding or by riveting to the guiding tape. The flange 5a may be a correspondingly bent sheet metal piece into which is inserted the pin 5. Of course the llange and the pin could also be made of one piece by press-casting.

The two guiding tapes 4, to which all slats 2 are pivotally mounted, extend laterally of the slats and are guided in lateral guiding rails 7. The upper ends of the tapes 4 are secured to the winding shaft and are adapted to be wound on or unwound therefrom together with the slats 2. A not represented end rail is secured to the lower ends of the tapes 4.`

The upper ends 8 of the rails 7 are'somewhat widened as visible from Figures 2 and 3 and the reasonfor this widening shall be explained in detail hereafter.

Two further steel tapes 9 are also secured to the winding shaft 1. To these tapes 9 the slats 2 are articulated with their inward longitudinal rims. For this purpose a recess is provided lWithin the bead 3a of the slat 2 in the zone of the ends of the slats and this recess has approximately the-width of an eye 10 which in a similar way as the eye 6 is welded or riveted to thesteel tape 9. The bead 3a of the slats 2 thereby constitutes a bearing pin rotatable in the eye 10.V

As is visible from Fig. l the tapes 4 andk also the tapes 9 are throughgoing and do not for securing the eyes 6 necessitate slots which would weaken the tapes. Moreover the manufacturing of such tapes and the fixationv .of the eyes is very .simple and cheap. It is also possible to make the tape'from one piece with the associated eyes.

In the longitudinal middle line of the Venetian blind the slats 2 are suspended from a further steel tape 11. For this purpose the slats are provided with rectangularV cut-outs 12 through which this additional supporting tape 11 passes. The ,cut-outs 12 arearranged in such a way that their `edge which in longitudinal direction is nearer to the slat rim 3b extends approximately through the longitudinal middle line of the slat. A pin 14 is secured by means of a pair of eyes 13 to the under side of each slat 2 so as r`to extend parallelly to and in the proximity of said edge of the cut-out. The pin 14 carries a further eye 15 having flanges secured for example by spot welding to the supporting t-ape 11. It results from this arrangement that each slat 2 is articulated with its middle portion to the supporting tape 11 and the cut-outs 12 are chosen of such dimension that the tilting of the slats is not hindered.

A transverse member 16 is arranged above the uppermost slat 2 and this member 16 is anchored as well to the supporting tape 11 as also to the pair of guiding tapes 4. When the Venetian blind is raised this transverse member 16 is wound on the Winding shaft 1 to which the supporting tape 11 is secured in the same manner as are the slats 2.. The supporting tape 11 and the transverse member 16 guarantees that the middle portion and the ends of the slats are always at the sarne level when the blind is lowered and thus that the distance separating the slats 2 is the same over the whole length thereof. An undesired exing of the slats under the action of their proper weight is thus eilicaciously prevented. In the case of large Venetian blinds it is of course also possible to provide several such supporting tapes 11 equally distributed over the middle portion of the slats.

If the winding shaft 1 is rotated `in the sense of lowering the Venetian blind (in a counterclockwise direction in Figs. 2`and 3) the tapes'4,'9 and llrare unwound from thewinding shaft. `,Thereby the slats are `in the closed position shown in Fig. 2. Whenithe Venetian blind `is completely lowered the transverse member 16 lies with its ends in the widened portion 8 of the guiding rails 7. If in this position of the elements the winding shaft 1 is further rotated in the same direction theslats are tilted by the furthernnwinding tapes 9 about their articulation on the tapes 4 and,11 into their open position shown in Fig. 3. As the transverse member 16 anchoredto the tapes 4 and 11 is supported in the widened portion 8fof the guiding rail 7 ,the tapes 4 and 11 which,` also are further unwound by the rotation of shaft lido not cause a furtherlowering of the slats 2.

l. A` Venetian blind comprisinga winding shaft, a pair of 'guiding tapes and at least one further `tape suspended from',` said shaftand adapted to be wound on to and` unwound from saidshaft ,for raising. and lowering the blind, aplurality of` slatsthe ends of which are pivotally connected to said guiding tapes and one of the longitudinal edges of which is pivotally connected to said further tape, said` slats havinggcut-outs therein, atleast one supportingl tape also suspended from the winding shaft between said guiding tapes and adapted to be wound thereon and unwound therefrom together with the guiding tapes, said supporting tape extending through `the cut-outs in said slats and being articulated along their longitudinal middle axis to said supporting tape, a transverse member arranged above the uppermost slat and anchored to said supporting tape and `to said guidingtapes, said `transverse member-being windable on `the winding shaft together with the slats, a pair of guiding rails for the guiding tapes and abutting means in said guiding rails serving as abutments for the said `transverse member .in` the lowered positionofV the blind. t

2. A Venetian blind comprising a winding shaft, a pair of guiding tapes and at least one further tape suspended from said `shaft and adapted to be wound onto and unwound from said shaft for raising and lowering the blind, a plurality of camberedslats the endsof which are pivotally connected to said guiding tapes and one of the longitudinal edges of which is pivotally connected to said further tape, said slats having rectangular cut-outs therein extending ,apprmtinlately` from` thelongitudinal middle axis of a slat to the said one longitudinal edge thereof and havingan edge extending parallel to and near the longitudinal middle axis' of the slat, at least one single ply supporting tape also suspended from the winding shaft between said guiding tapes and adaptedtto be wound thereon and unwound therefrom together with the guiding tapes, said supporting tape extending through the cutouts in said slats, a bearing pin anchored to the unde'x side of each slat in proximity ofsaid cut-out edge, and an eye on said supporting tape and cooperating with said pin for articulating the slats along their longitudinal middle axis to said ysupporting tape.

3. A Venetian blind comprising a winding shaft, a pair of guiding tapes and at least one further tape suspended from said shaft and adapted to be wound onto and unwound from said shaft, for raising and lowering the blind, a plurality of chambered slats the ends of which are pivotally connected to said guiding tapes and one of the longitudinal edges of which is pivotally connected to said further tape, said slats having rectangular cut-outs therein extending approximately from the longitudinal middle axis of a slat tothe said one longitudinal edge thereof and having an edgefextending parallel to and near the longitudinal Amiddle axis ofthe slat, at least one single ply supporting tape also suspended from the winding shaft between said guidingtapes and adapted to be wound thereon and unwound therefromftogether 'with the guiding tapes, said supporting tape extending through the cutouts in said slats, a bearing pin anchored to-the under side of ea'ch slat in proximity ofv said cut-out edge, an eye on said supporting tape`and cooperating with said pin for articulating the slats along vtheir longitudinal middle axis to said supporting tape, a transverse member arranged above the uppermost-Slat and anchored to the supporting tape and to the guiding-tapes, said transverse member being windablefonrthewinding shaft together with thesslats, a pair of'guiding rails for-the guiding tapes and abutting means in'saidfguiding rails serving as abutments for Athe said transverse memberwin the lowered Vposition of the blind.

4. A Venetian'blind as claimed `inclaimV 3 in 'which the said one longitudinal edge of said slats is upwardly borderedto provide a bead, said bead having `a. slot therein, an eye on said further tape extending through said slot said bead of the slat for articulating the slatby said one of its longitudinal edge to said further tape.

References Cited in the ile ofthis patent f UNITED STATES,lATENTSV 

